I move:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes that there are six schools for deaf and hearing impaired students in Melbourne but no dedicated school for blind and vision impaired students;

(b)

acknowledges that whilst mainstream schooling is appropriate for many children with disabilities, some children require more intensive support in specialist environments for a period of time;

(c)

supports the right of parents to choose the educational setting that best meets the needs of their child;

(d)

commends the parents involved in the Insight Education Centre for the Blind and Vision Impaired for their tireless advocacy and hard work on behalf of blind and vision impaired children; and

(e)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

establish a Commonwealth Disability and Carer Ombudsman to undertake a nationwide audit of special schools that cater for particular disabilities to establish the needs that exist across Australia, and

(ii)

provide $2.2 million in capital funding to the Insight Education Centre for the Blind and Vision Impaired.

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Leave is granted for two minutes.

I thank the opposition. The government is disappointed that the opposition is using the Senate to fuel confusion in the disability sector about the roles of the Commonwealth, states and territories in funding both education and disability services. As the Senate well knows, education, including education for children with disabilities is funded by states and territories. The planning and delivery of education facilities for children with disability is undertaken by the state and territory governments, not on the floor of the Senate. Further, notices of motion is not an appropriate place to appropriate $2.2 million. The time of the shadow minister for disabilities, carers and the voluntary sector would be better spent working constructively with persons with disability and their families rather than building expectations which, quite frankly, the opposition is aware cannot be delivered.

Question agreed to.